Highlights for glimepiride
- Glimepiride oral pill is obtainable as a generic drug and as a brand-name drug. Model identify: Amaryl.
- Glimepiride comes as a pill you’re taking by mouth.
- Glimepiride is used to deal with kind 2 diabetes. It helps management blood sugar when used together with a nutritious diet and train.
Glimepiride is a prescription drug. It comes as an oral pill.
Glimepiride is obtainable because the brand-name drug Amaryl and as a generic drug. Generic medication normally value much less. In some circumstances, they will not be accessible in each power or type because the brand-name model.
This drug could also be used as a part of a mixture remedy. Which means it’s essential take it with different medication.
Why it’s used
Glimepiride is used to scale back excessive blood sugar ranges in individuals with kind 2 diabetes. It’s utilized in mixture with a nutritious diet and train.
This treatment could also be used with insulin or different varieties of diabetes medication to assist management your excessive blood sugar.
The way it works
Glimepiride belongs to a category of medicine known as sulfonylureas. A category of medicine is a bunch of medicines that work in an analogous manner. These medication are sometimes used to deal with related circumstances.
Glimepiride helps your pancreas to launch insulin. Insulin is a chemical that your physique makes to maneuver sugar (glucose) out of your bloodstream into your cells. As soon as the sugar enters your cells, they will use it as gas to your physique.
With type 2 diabetes, your physique doesn’t make sufficient insulin, or it could’t correctly use the insulin that it makes, so the sugar stays in your bloodstream. This causes excessive blood sugar ranges (hyperglycemia).
Glimepiride oral pill doesn’t trigger drowsiness, however it could trigger different unwanted side effects.
Extra widespread unwanted side effects
The extra widespread unwanted side effects that may happen with glimepiride embrace:
- low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Signs might embrace:
- trembling or shaking
- nervousness or nervousness
- irritability
- sweating
- lightheadedness or dizziness
- headache
- quick coronary heart fee or palpitations
- intense starvation
- fatigue or tiredness
- headache
- nausea
- dizziness
- weak spot
- unexplained weight achieve
If these results are delicate, they could go away inside a number of days or a few weeks. In the event that they’re extra extreme or don’t go away, speak together with your physician or pharmacist.
Severe unwanted side effects
Name your physician straight away when you’ve got severe unwanted side effects. Name 911 in case your signs really feel life threatening or for those who suppose you’re having a medical emergency. Severe unwanted side effects and their signs can embrace the next:
- extreme low blood sugar (lower than 35 to 40 mg/dL). Signs might embrace:
- temper modifications, reminiscent of irritability, impatience, anger, stubbornness, or unhappiness
- confusion, together with delirium
- lightheadedness or dizziness
- sleepiness
- blurred or impaired imaginative and prescient
- tingling or numbness in your lips or tongue
- complications
- weak spot or fatigue
- lack of coordination
- nightmares or crying out in your sleep
- seizures
- unconsciousness
- hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions. This drug could cause a number of varieties of allergic reactions, together with:
- anaphylaxis. It is a extreme and probably a life-threatening allergic response. Signs might embrace hassle respiration, swelling of your throat or tongue, hives, or issue swallowing.
- angioedema. This entails swelling of your pores and skin, the layers underneath your pores and skin, and your mucous membranes (inside your mouth).
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome. It is a uncommon and severe dysfunction of your pores and skin and mucous membranes (mouth and nostril). It begins with flu-like signs and is adopted by a painful pink rash and blisters.
- liver harm. Signs might embrace:
- yellowing of your pores and skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
- abdomen ache and swelling
- swelling in your legs and ankles (edema)
- itchy pores and skin
- dark-colored urine
- pale stool or tar-colored stool
- fixed sleepiness
- nausea
- vomiting
- bruising simply
- low blood cell or platelet counts. Signs might embrace infections and bruising or bleeding that doesn’t cease as rapidly as regular.
- low sodium ranges (hyponatremia) and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). In SIADH, your physique is unable to do away with extra water by urinating. This results in decrease sodium ranges in your blood (hyponatremia), which is harmful. Signs might embrace:
- nausea and vomiting
- headache
- confusion
- lack of power and fatigue
- restlessness and irritability
- muscle weak spot, spasms, or cramps
- seizures
- coma
Glimepiride oral pill can work together with different drugs, nutritional vitamins, or herbs you could be taking. An interplay is when a substance modifications the best way a drug works. This may be dangerous or forestall the drug from working effectively.
To assist keep away from interactions, your physician ought to handle your whole drugs fastidiously. You should definitely inform your physician about all drugs, nutritional vitamins, or herbs you’re taking. To learn the way this drug may work together with one thing else you’re taking, speak together with your physician or pharmacist.
Examples of medicine that may trigger interactions with glimepiride are listed under.
Quinolone antibiotics
These medication can improve the impact of glimepiride and trigger low blood sugar. Examples of those medication embrace:
- ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
- levofloxacin (Levaquin)
Blood stress and coronary heart medication (angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors)
These medication can improve the impact of glimepiride and trigger low blood sugar. Examples of those medication embrace:
- benazepril (Lotensin)
- captopril (Capoten)
- enalapril (Vasotec)
- enalaprilat
- fosinopril (Monopril)
- lisinopril (Prinivil)
- moexipril (Univasc)
- perindopril (Aceon)
- quinapril (Accupril)
- ramipril (Altace)
- trandolapril (Mavik)
Antifungals
These medication can improve the impact of glimepiride and trigger low blood sugar. Examples of those medication embrace:
- fluconazole (Diflucan)
- ketoconazole (Nizoral)
Drug that treats eye infections
Chloramphenicol can improve the impact of glimepiride and trigger low blood sugar.
Drug that treats excessive ldl cholesterol and triglycerides
Clofibrate can improve the impact of glimepiride and trigger low blood sugar.
Medication that deal with melancholy
These medication can improve the impact of glimepiride and trigger low blood sugar. Examples of those medication embrace:
- monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), reminiscent of:
- isocarboxazid (Marplan)
- phenelzine (Nardil)
- tranylcypromine (Parnate)
Medication that include salicylate
These medication can improve the impact of glimepiride and trigger low blood sugar. Examples of those medication embrace:
- aspirin
- magnesium salicylate (Doan’s)
- salsalate (Disalcid)
Medication that include sulfonamides
These medication can improve the impact of glimepiride and trigger low blood sugar. Examples of those medication embrace:
- sulfacetamide
- sulfadiazine
- sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (Bactrim)
- sulfasalazine (Azulfidine)
- sulfisoxazole
Drug that treats ldl cholesterol and sort 2 diabetes
Colesevelam can lower the quantity of glimepiride that’s absorbed by your physique. Because of this the drug might not work as effectively. This interplay might trigger excessive blood sugar.
Drug that treats low blood sugar
Diazoxide can lower the impact of glimepiride and trigger excessive blood sugar.
Tuberculosis medication
These medication can lower the impact of glimepiride and trigger excessive blood sugar. Examples of those medication embrace:
- rifabutin (Mycobutin)
- rifampin (Rifadin)
- rifapentine (Priftin)
Thiazide diuretics
These medication can lower the impact of glimepiride and trigger excessive blood sugar. Examples of those medication embrace:
- chlorothiazide (Diuril)
- chlorthalidone
- hydrochlorothiazide (Hydrodiuril)
- indapamide (Lozol)
- metolazone (Zaroxolyn)
All doable dosages and kinds will not be included right here. Your dose, type, and the way usually you’re taking it would depend upon:
- your age
- the situation being handled
- how extreme your situation is
- different medical circumstances you might have
- the way you react to the primary dose
Drug kinds and strengths
Generic: Glimepiride
- Kind: oral pill
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg, 4 mg, 6 mg, and eight mg
Model: Amaryl
- Kind: oral pill
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2 mg, and 4 mg
Dosage for kind 2 diabetes
Grownup dosage (ages 18 to 64 years)
- The really helpful beginning dose is 1 mg or 2 mg taken as soon as per day with breakfast or the primary major meal of the day.
- After reaching a dose of two mg per day, your physician might improve your dose by 1 mg or 2 mg based mostly in your blood sugar ranges. They could improve your dose each 1 to 2 weeks till your blood sugar ranges are managed.
- The utmost really helpful dose is 8 mg taken as soon as per day.
Little one dosage (ages 0 to 17 years)
Glimepiride isn’t really helpful for individuals underneath 18 years outdated as a result of it might have an effect on physique weight and trigger low blood sugar.
Senior dosage (ages 65 years and older)
- The beginning dose is 1 mg taken as soon as per day with breakfast or the primary major meal of the day.
- Your physician might regulate your dose based mostly in your blood sugar ranges. Since seniors could also be extra delicate to glimepiride and usually tend to have decreased kidney operate, your physician might improve your dose extra slowly.
- The utmost really helpful dose is 8 mg taken as soon as per day.
Particular dosage concerns
For individuals with kidney illness: Since you’re in danger for low blood sugar, your dose of glimepiride will possible be decrease than the standard dose.
- The beginning dose is 1 mg taken as soon as per day with breakfast or the primary major meal of the day.
- Your dose of glimepiride could also be adjusted based mostly in your blood sugar ranges.
- The utmost really helpful dose is 8 mg taken as soon as per day.
For individuals with liver illness: When you have liver illness, you could be extra delicate to the results of glimepiride. Your physician might begin you at a decrease dose and slowly improve your dose if wanted.
Glimepiride is used for long-term therapy. It comes with severe dangers for those who don’t take it as prescribed.
Should you don’t take it in any respect: Should you don’t take glimepiride in any respect, you should still have excessive blood sugar ranges. Over time, larger blood sugar ranges can injure your eyes, kidneys, nerves, or coronary heart. Extreme points embrace coronary heart assault, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and dialysis, and doable amputations.
Should you take an excessive amount of: Should you take an excessive amount of glimepiride, monitor your blood sugar very carefully and start therapy in case your blood sugar falls under 70 mg/dL. If this occurs, take 15 to twenty grams of glucose (a sort of sugar). It’s essential eat or drink one of many following:
- 3 to 4 glucose tablets
- a tube of glucose gel
- ½ cup of juice or common, non-diet soda
- 1 cup of nonfat or 1 p.c cow’s milk
- 1 tablespoon of sugar, honey, or corn syrup
- 8 to 10 items of onerous sweet, reminiscent of lifesavers
Take a look at your blood sugar quarter-hour after you deal with the low sugar response. In case your blood sugar remains to be low, then repeat the above therapy.
As soon as your blood sugar is again within the regular vary, eat a small snack in case your subsequent deliberate meal or snack is greater than 1 hour later.
Should you don’t deal with low blood sugar, you’ll be able to have a seizure, go out, and probably develop mind harm. Low blood sugar may even be deadly.
Should you go out due to a low sugar response or can’t swallow, somebody should provide you with an injection of glucagon to deal with the low sugar response. It’s possible you’ll must go to the emergency room.
What to do for those who miss a dose: Should you neglect to take your dose, take it as quickly as you bear in mind. If it’s just some hours earlier than the time to your subsequent dose, solely take one dose.
By no means attempt to catch up by taking two doses without delay. This might end in extreme unwanted side effects, reminiscent of low blood sugar.
The best way to inform if the drug is working: Your blood sugar readings needs to be decrease and could also be within the goal vary for individuals with kind 2 diabetes. Until in any other case directed by your physician, goal ranges for blood sugar are as follows:
- Blood sugar earlier than a meal (pre-prandial plasma glucose): between 70 and 130 mg/dL.
- Blood sugar 1 to 2 hours after beginning of a meal (postprandial plasma glucose): lower than 180 mg/dL.
As with all drugs, the prices of glimepiride can range. To search out present costs to your space, try GoodRx.com.
var _grxdn = “glimepiride”; (operate(d,t){var g=d.createElement(t),s=d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0]; g.src=”//s3.amazonaws.com/property.goodrx.com/static/widgets/examine.min.js”; s.parentNode.insertBefore(g,s)}(doc,”script”));
Maintain these concerns in thoughts in case your physician prescribes glimepiride for you.
Normal
- Glimepiride needs to be taken with breakfast or the primary meal of the day.
- You’ll be able to crush or minimize the pill.
Storage
- Retailer glimepiride at room temperature. Maintain it at a temperature between 68ºF and 77ºF (20°C and 25°C).
- Don’t freeze glimepiride.
- Maintain this drug away from mild.
- Don’t retailer this treatment in moist or damp areas, reminiscent of loos.
Refills
A prescription for this treatment is refillable. You shouldn’t want a brand new prescription for this treatment to be refilled. Your physician will write the variety of refills approved in your prescription.
Journey
When touring together with your treatment:
- All the time carry your treatment with you. When flying, by no means put it right into a checked bag. Maintain it in your carry-on bag.
- Don’t fear about airport X-ray machines. They received’t harm your treatment.
- It’s possible you’ll want to indicate airport workers the pharmacy label to your treatment. All the time carry the unique prescription-labeled field with you.
- Don’t put this treatment in your automobile’s glove compartment or depart it within the automobile. You should definitely keep away from doing this when the climate may be very sizzling or very chilly.
- Verify for particular guidelines about touring with treatment and lancets. You’ll want to make use of lancets to test your blood sugar.
Self-management
It’s possible you’ll want to check your blood sugar ranges at residence utilizing a blood glucose monitor. You’ll must learn to do the next:
- use a blood glucose monitor to check your blood sugar repeatedly at residence
- acknowledge the indicators and signs of excessive and low blood sugar
- deal with high and low blood sugar reactions
To test your blood sugar ranges, you’ll must have:
- sterile alcohol wipes
- lancing system and lancets (needles used to prick your finger to check your blood sugar)
- blood sugar take a look at strips
- blood glucose monitor
- needle container for protected disposal of lancets
Lancets are used to check your blood sugar when you’re taking glimepiride. Don’t throw out particular person lancets into trashcans or recycling bins, and by no means flush them down the bathroom. Ask your pharmacist for a protected container for disposing used lancets.
Your group might have a program for throwing away lancets. If disposing the container within the trash, label it “don’t recycle.”
Medical monitoring
Earlier than you begin and when you’re taking glimepiride, your physician might test your:
- blood sugar ranges
- glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) ranges (your blood sugar management during the last 2 to three months)
- liver operate
- kidney operate
Your food plan
Glimepiride is used to deal with diabetes together with food plan modifications and train. Discuss together with your physician about how you can change your consuming habits.
Solar sensitivity
Glimepiride might trigger elevated sensitivity to the solar (photosensitivity). Whereas taking this treatment, you need to use sunscreen, put on protecting clothes, and restrict how usually you’re within the solar.
Hidden prices
In addition to the drug, you’ll must buy the next:
- sterile alcohol wipes
- lancing system and lancets
- blood sugar take a look at strips
- blood glucose monitor
- needle container for protected disposal of lancets
There are different medication accessible to deal with your situation. Some could also be extra appropriate for you than others. Discuss together with your physician about doable options.
- Low blood sugar warning: Glimepiride could cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Signs might embrace:
- trembling or shaking
- nervousness or nervousness
- irritability
- sweating
- lightheadedness or dizziness
- headache
- quick coronary heart fee or palpitations
- intense starvation
- fatigue or tiredness
- Excessive blood sugar warning: If glimepiride isn’t working effectively sufficient to regulate your blood sugar, your diabetes received’t be underneath management. It will result in excessive blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Name your physician when you’ve got any of those signs:
- urinating extra usually than common
- feeling very thirsty
- feeling very hungry regardless that you’re consuming
- excessive fatigue
- blurred imaginative and prescient
- cuts or bruises which are sluggish to heal
- tingling, ache, or numbness in your palms or ft
Deadly coronary heart issues warning: Glimepiride might improve your danger of deadly coronary heart issues in comparison with therapy with food plan alone or food plan plus insulin. Ask your physician if this drug is best for you.
This drug comes with a number of warnings.
Allergy warning
This drug is chemically much like a category of medicines known as sulfonamides (sulfa medication). Should you’re allergic to sulfa drugs, you could be allergic to glimepiride. When you have a sulfa allergy, inform your physician earlier than taking this drug.
Glimepiride could cause a extreme allergic response. Signs might embrace:
- hassle respiration
- swelling of your throat or tongue
- hives
Should you develop these signs, name 911 or go to the closest emergency room.
Don’t take this drug once more for those who’ve ever had an allergic response to it. Taking it once more may very well be deadly.
Alcohol interplay warning
Consuming alcohol whereas taking glimepiride might have an effect on your blood sugar ranges. They will both improve or lower. Keep away from ingesting alcohol whereas taking this treatment.
Warnings for individuals with sure well being circumstances
For individuals with G6PD deficiency: Glimepiride could cause hemolytic anemia (destruction of pink blood cells) in individuals with the genetic downside Glucose 6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Your physician might change you to a different diabetes drug when you’ve got this situation.
For individuals with kidney illness: Glimepiride is eliminated out of your physique by your kidneys. In case your kidneys aren’t working as effectively, glimepiride might construct up in your physique and trigger low blood sugar. Your physician might begin you at a decrease dose and slowly improve your dose if wanted.
For individuals with liver illness: Glimepiride hasn’t been totally studied in sufferers with liver illness. When you have liver illness, you could be extra delicate to glimepiride. Your physician might begin you at a decrease dose and slowly improve your dose if wanted.
Warnings for different teams
For pregnant girls: Glimepiride is a class C being pregnant drug. Which means two issues:
- Analysis in animals has proven opposed results to the fetus when the mom takes the drug.
- There haven’t been sufficient research performed in people to make sure how the drug may have an effect on the fetus.
Inform your physician for those who’re pregnant or plan to turn into pregnant. Glimepiride needs to be used throughout being pregnant provided that the potential profit justifies the potential danger to the fetus.
Name your physician for those who turn into pregnant whereas taking this drug.
For girls who’re breastfeeding: It isn’t identified if glimepiride passes by means of breast milk. If it does, it might trigger severe results in a baby who’s breastfed. You and your physician might must determine for those who’ll take glimepiride or breastfeed.
For seniors: As you age, your organs, reminiscent of your kidneys and liver, might not work in addition to they did if you had been youthful. This implies that you could be be extra delicate to the results of this treatment. It might even be harder so that you can acknowledge the signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
For these causes, your physician might begin you at a decrease dose of glimepiride.
For youngsters: Glimepiride isn’t really helpful for individuals underneath 18 years outdated as a result of it might have an effect on physique weight and trigger low blood sugar.
Disclaimer: Healthline has made each effort to make sure that each one data is factually right, complete, and updated. Nevertheless, this text shouldn’t be used as an alternative to the data and experience of a licensed healthcare skilled. It is best to all the time seek the advice of your physician or different healthcare skilled earlier than taking any treatment. The drug data contained herein is topic to alter and isn’t meant to cowl all doable makes use of, instructions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or opposed results. The absence of warnings or different data for a given drug doesn’t point out that the drug or drug mixture is protected, efficient, or applicable for all sufferers or all particular makes use of.